Water shoes



NOV. 15, 1966 CHYMBUR 3,284,824

WATER SHOES Filed Oct. 16, 1964 INVENTOR. ROBERT M. CHYMBUR United States Patent 3,284,824 WATER SHOES Robert M. Chymbur, 1026 Ozone St., Santa Monica, Calif. Filed Oct. 16, 1964, Set. N0. 404,286 4 Claims. (Cl.,9310) This invention relates to an improved pair of water shoes to enable a person to propel himself over water while standing up, such as in a lake, ocean, or swimming pool.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a pair of water shoes which may be easily retained on a persons feet and have sufiicient buoyant properties to hold the person at a level such that his feet are substantially at or close to the water surface, while standing up.

Another object is to provide an improved pair of Water shoes with which a person may propel himself over water by executing simple walking movements with his feet in a relatively rapid manner as compared to prior art devices.

Briefly, these and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a pair of water shoes in which each shoe includes a foot board portion having foot retaining means on its top surface and at least one traction housing structure coupled to its underside. The traction housing structure extends for a relatively large depth into the water and includes entrance and exit openings to permit water to flow through the housing. Within the housing there is provided at least one, and preferably a plurality of vanes swingably mounted to move between open and closed positions. The arrangement is similar to that of Venetian blinds, each of the vanes being freely swingable and so mounted that a forward water pressure will cause the vanes to assume open positions whereas a rearward water pressure will cause the vanes to assume closed positions. With the foregoing arrangement, a person may easily move each water shoe forwardly through the water in a relatively unimpeded manner. Any backward movement of the shoe, on the other hand, is impeded by automatic closing of the vanes in response to the backward water pressure thereon.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are provided a plurality of such traction housings in aligned position so that a considerable amount of forward thrust may be realized when the shoes are used.

A better understanding of the invention will be now had by referring to a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pair of water shoes in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken in the direction of the arrows 22 in FIGURE 1 with the driving vanes in first open positions;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrating the driving vanes in second closed positions;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating in greater detail the mounting means for the vanes; and,

FIGURE 5 is a reduced plan view of one of the Vane housings.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is shown a pair of water shoes and 11 having suitable foot retaining means 12 and 13 on their top surfaces. Since the water shoes are substantially the same in construction, detailed description of one will sufiice for both.

Thus, with reference to the water shoe 10 it will be noted that there are provided a plurality of similarly designed traction type housing structures 14, 15 and 16, as shown in FIGURE 2. The housing structure 14,

which is typical of the others, is coupled or otherwise 3,284,824 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 "ice secured to the underside of the foot board 10 as by simple screws 17 and 18. It should be understood, however, that the traction housing structures may be secured. to the underside of the board 10 by any other suitable means such as by a tongue and groove arrangement, or the like.

As shown, there is incorporated within the housing 14 a plurality of vanes such as indicated at 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. These vanes are respectively mounted for swinging movement as about pivot points 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28. The front of the housing has an entrance opening defined by a front frame member 29 so that water may normally flow through the housing along the wall 3-0 and out the rear of the housing. The plane of this entrance opening is angulated forwardly with respect to the vertical as shown.

It will be clear that when the foot board 10 is moved in a forward direction through the water as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 1, water will flow through the housing as indicated by the several arrow-s in FIGURE 2. As a consequence of this forward water pressure, the vanes shown will assume open positions in which they tend towards planes substantially parallel to the surface of the water.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the closed position of the various vanes which occurs when a rearward water pressure is exerted on the vanes, or, alternately, when the structure is stationary, the vanes being made of wood or similar light material so that they will be buoyed up to the closed position shown. Thus, the vanes move substantially into the plane of the entrance opening which forms an acute angle with the vertical thereby insuring that the buoyant forces will hold the vanes closed.

FIGURE 4 illustrates one of the vanes such as the vane 19 wherein it will be noted that the upward'swinging movement of the vane towards its closed position is checked by the frame 29 defining the front opening. Thus when the vane 19 swings in the direction of the arcuate arrow in FIGURE 4, it will engage the edge 29 which functions as a stop. A corresponding edge or stop portion is illustrated at the front edge of the outer wall 31 in FIGURE 4.

In FIGURE 5, it will be evident that the outer wall 31 of the housing diverges slightly from the wall 30 as indicated by the angle A.

The operation of the water shoes will be evident from the foregoing description. When one or the other of the shoes 10 or 11 of FIGURE 1 is moved in a forward direction; that is, from right to left as viewed in FIGURE 1, the forward water pressure will cause the vanes to assume the positions illustrated in FIGURE 2 and water may fiow through the entrance opening of the housing and out the exit opening in a relatively unimpeded manner. When the person wearing the shoes stops one foot and. moves the other foot forward, the stopped foot will have a tendency to move that foot board in a rearward direction. This initial movement will result in a rearward water pressure which will then cause the various vanes, in addition to their buoyancy, to assume their closed positions illustrated in FIGURE 3. There will thus be presented a large resistance to rearward movement of the foot board 10 so that the person wearing the shoes may progress forwardly in a manner similar to simple walking. As a consequence of the diverging wall 31, forward movement will tend to keep the shoes together and thus inhibit spreading apart of the shoes as the user propels himself through the water.

By providing a plurality of traction housings beneath each of the foot boards, there will be provided a correspondingly greater amount of resistance to rearward movement of the foot boards and thus greater thrust may be realized in operating the shoes. Further, because of the depth or downward extent of the traction housings, and by constructing the housings of light plastic or wood, a large amount of buoyancy is provided for each of the shoes to support the users feet close to or slightly above the surface of the water when he is standing up.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that the present invention has provided greatly improved Water shoes. While only one particular embodiment has been set forth for illustrative purposes, various changes that fall clearly within the scope and spirit of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A pair of water shoes, each of said shoes comprising, in combination: an elongated foot board having foot retaining means on its top surface; and at least one water traction housing coupled to the underside of said board, said housing having side walls defining a water entrance opening lying in a plane angulated with respect to the forward direction of said board and a water exit opening spaced from said entrance opening facing in the rearward direction of said board; and at least one vane member mounted for swinging movement between said side walls adjacent to said entrance opening between an open position in which said vane extends in a plane away from said entrance opening so that water can flow through said entrance opening and beyond the end of said vane between said side walls to pass out said exit opening, and a closed position in which said vane swings through an acute angle to lie in the angulated plane of said ent-rance opening and blocks said entrance opening, said vane being responsive to forward water pressure at said entrance opening to assume said open position and. responsive to back pressure of Water through said exit opening to assume said closed position whereby forward movement of said foot board through water with said housing submerged is relatively unimpeded compared to backward movement of said foot board, such backward. movement impelling the mass of water trapped between said side walls of said housing in a rearward direction.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, in which said housin g includes a plurality of additional vanes each being swingably mounted about spaced axes parallel to each other and the axis of swinging movement of said first mentioned vane member to define a Venetian blind type arrangement, forward water pressure through said entrance opening causing all of said vanes to swing to open positions and rearward water pressure through said exit opening causing all of said vanes to swing to closed positions.

3. The subject matter of claim 2, including additional water traction housings coupled to the under side of said foot board and constructed similarly to and in alignment with said first mentioned watertraction housing.

4. The subject matter of claim 2, in which said housing has its outer side wall diverging from its opposite side Wall when viewed in plan to thereby generate inward forces on said elongated footboards to inhibit spreading apart of the same as they are propelled through the water.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 21,846 5/1883 Germany.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. ALFRED E. CORRIGAN, Examiner. 

1. A PAIR OF WATER SHOES, EACH OF SAID SHOES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATED FOOT BOARD HAVING FOOT RETAINING MEANS ON ITS TOP SURFACE; AND AT LEAST ONE WATER TRACTION HOUSING COUPLED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID BOARD, SAID HOUSING HAVING SIDE WALLS DEFINING A WATER ENTRANCE OPENING LYING IN A PLANE ANGULATED WITH RESPECT TO THE FORWARD DIRECTION OF SAID BOARD AND A WATER EXIT OPENING SPACED FROM SAID ENTRANCE OPENING FACING IN THE REARWARD DIRECTION OF SAID BOARD; AND AT LEAST ONE VANE MEMBER MOUNTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT TO SAID ENTRANCE OPENING BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID VANE EXTENDS IN A PLANE AWAY FROM SAID ENTRANCE OPENING SO THAT WATER CAN FLOW THROUGH SAID ENTRANCE OPENING AND BEYOND THE END OF SAID VANE BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS TO PASS OUT SAID EXIT OPENING, AND A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH SAID VANE SWINGS THROUGH AN ACUTE ANGLE TO LIE IN THE ANGULATED PLANE OF SAID ENTRANCE OPENING AND BLOCKS SAID ENTRANCE OPENING, SAID VANE BEING RESPONSIVE TO FORWARD WATER PRESSURE AT SAID ENTRANCE OPENING TO ASSUME SAID OPEN POSITION AND RESPONSIVE TO BACK PRESSURE OF WATER THROUGH SAID EXIT OPENING TO ASSUME SAID CLOSED POSITION WHEREBY FORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOOT BOARD THROUGH WATER WITH SAID HOUSING SUBMERGED IS RELATIVELY UNIMPEDED COMPARED TO BACKWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOOT BOARD, SUCH BACKWARD MOVEMENT IMPELLING THE MASS OF WATER TRAPPED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING IN A REARWARD DIRECTION. 